Downlink channel rate matching of synchronization signal block transmissions in a new radio wireless communication system

ABSTRACT

A configurable new radio (NR) resource scheduling and indication transmission procedure that may be executed by a base station and a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. For example, a base station may determine a number of synchronization signal blocks available for transmission of non-scheduling data, and transmit an indication signifying at least one of the number of synchronization signal blocks or a location of each of the number of synchronization signal blocks. Further, a UE may receiving an indication signifying at least one of a number of synchronization signal blocks or a location of each of the number of synchronization signal blocks. The UE may further determine one or more resource elements forming the number of synchronization signal blocks where non-scheduling data has been scheduled for transmission. The UE may receive the non-scheduling data within the one or more resource elements forming the number of synchronization signal blocks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 15/865,733, entitled “DOWNLINK CHANNEL RATE MATCHING OFSYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL BLOCK TRANSMISSIONS IN A NEW RADIO WIRELESSCOMMUNICATION SYSTEM” and filed on Jan. 9, 2018, and claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/444,618, entitled “DOWNLINKCHANNEL RATE MATCHING OF SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL BLOCK TRANSMISSIONS IN ANEW RADIO WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM” and filed on Jan. 10, 2017,both of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wirelesscommunication networks, and more particularly, to downlink channel ratematching of synchronization signal block transmission in a new radio(NR) wireless communication system.

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, video, packet data,messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-accesssystems capable of supporting communication with multiple users bysharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, andpower). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code-divisionmultiple access (CDMA) systems, time-division multiple access (TDMA)systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonalfrequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and single-carrierfrequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems.

These multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national,regional, and even global level. For example, a fifth generation (5G)wireless communications technology (which can be referred to as NR) isenvisaged to expand and support diverse usage scenarios and applicationswith respect to current mobile network generations. In an aspect, 5Gcommunications technology can include: enhanced mobile broadbandaddressing human-centric use cases for access to multimedia content,services and data; ultra-reliable-low latency communications (URLLC)with certain specifications for latency and reliability; and massivemachine type communications, which can allow a very large number ofconnected devices and transmission of a relatively low volume ofnon-delay-sensitive information. As the demand for mobile broadbandaccess continues to increase, however, further improvements in NRcommunications technology and beyond may be desired.

For example, for NR communications technology and beyond, conventionaldownlink channel rate matching solutions may not provide a desired levelof speed or customization for efficient network operation. Thus,improvements in wireless communication operations may be desired.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects inorder to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary isnot an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nordelineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In an aspect, the present disclosure includes a method for wirelesscommunications at a network entity. The method may include determining anumber of synchronization signal blocks available for transmission ofnon-scheduling data. The method may further include transmitting, on adownlink channel, an indication signifying at least one of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks or a location of each of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks.

In another aspect, a network entity comprises a memory and at least oneprocessor in communication with the memory. The at least one processormay be configured to determine a number of synchronization signal blocksavailable for transmission of non-scheduling data. The at least oneprocessor may further be configured to transmit, on a downlink channel,an indication signifying at least one of the number of synchronizationsignal blocks or a location of each of the number of synchronizationsignal blocks.

In an additional aspect, a network entity for wireless communicationsmay include means for determining a number of synchronization signalblocks available for transmission of non-scheduling data. The networkentity may further include means for transmitting, on a downlinkchannel, an indication signifying at least one of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks or a location of each of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks.

In yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium storing computer codeexecutable by a processor for wireless communications at a networkentity may include code for determining a number of synchronizationsignal blocks available for transmission of non-scheduling data. Thecomputer-readable medium may further include code for transmitting, on adownlink channel, an indication signifying at least one of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks or a location of each of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks.

In an aspect, the present disclosure includes a method for wirelesscommunications at a user equipment (UE). The method may includereceiving, on a downlink channel, an indication signifying at least oneof a number of synchronization signal blocks or a location of each ofthe number of synchronization signal blocks. The method may furtherinclude determining one or more resource elements forming the number ofsynchronization signal blocks where non-scheduling data has beenscheduled for transmission in response to receiving the indicationsignifying at least one of the location of the number of synchronizationsignal blocks or the number of synchronization signal blocks. Moreover,the method may include receiving the non-scheduling data within the oneor more resource elements forming the number of synchronization signalblocks.

In another aspect, a UE comprises a memory and at least one processor incommunication with the memory. The at least one processor may beconfigured to receive, on a downlink channel, an indication signifyingat least one of a number of synchronization signal blocks or a locationof each of the number of synchronization signal blocks. The at least oneprocessor may further be configured to determine one or more resourceelements forming the number of synchronization signal blocks wherenon-scheduling data has been scheduled for transmission in response toreceiving the indication signifying at least one of the location of thenumber of synchronization signal blocks or the number of synchronizationsignal blocks. The at least one processor may further be configured toreceive the non-scheduling data within the one or more resource elementsforming the number of synchronization signal blocks.

In an additional aspect, a UE may include means for receiving, on adownlink channel, an indication signifying at least one of a number ofsynchronization signal blocks or a location of each of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks. The UE may further include means fordetermining one or more resource elements forming the number ofsynchronization signal blocks where non-scheduling data has beenscheduled for transmission in response to receiving the indicationsignifying at least one of the location of the number of synchronizationsignal blocks or the number of synchronization signal blocks. The UE mayfurther include means for receiving the non-scheduling data within theone or more resource elements forming the number of synchronizationsignal blocks.

In yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium storing computer codeexecutable by a processor for wireless communications at a UE mayinclude code for receiving, on a downlink channel, an indicationsignifying at least one of a number of synchronization signal blocks ora location of each of the number of synchronization signal blocks. Thecomputer-readable medium may further include code for determining one ormore resource elements forming the number of synchronization signalblocks where non-scheduling data has been scheduled for transmission inresponse to receiving the indication signifying at least one of thelocation of the number of synchronization signal blocks or the number ofsynchronization signal blocks. The computer-readable medium may furtherinclude code for receiving the non-scheduling data within the one ormore resource elements forming the number of synchronization signalblocks.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreaspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative featuresof the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, ofbut a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspectsmay be employed, and this description is intended to include all suchaspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed aspects will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe appended drawings, provided to illustrate and not to limit thedisclosed aspects, wherein like designations denote like elements, andin which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication networkincluding at least one network entity (e.g., a base station) having anindication transmission component configured to transmit an indicationsignifying a number of synchronization signal blocks and at least oneuser equipment (UE) having a resource identification componentconfigured to determine one or more resource elements forming the numberof synchronization signal blocks;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an example synchronization signalblock;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example of a method of wirelesscommunication at a network entity;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example of a method of wirelesscommunication at a UE;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of example components of the UE of FIG. 1;and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of example components of the base stationof FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In thefollowing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofone or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that such aspect(s) maybe practiced without these specific details. Additionally, the term“component” as used herein may be one of the parts that make up asystem, may be hardware, firmware, and/or software stored on acomputer-readable medium, and may be divided into other components.

The present disclosure generally relates to downlink channel ratematching of synchronization signal block transmission in a new radiowireless communication system. For example, a network (e.g., a networkentity such as a base station) may periodically transmit synchronizationsignal block(s) to user equipments (UEs) to support or otherwise enableone or more communication procedures such as, but not limited to, timeand/or frequency synchronizations and/or cell identifier/identificationdetection. Further, broadcast information may also be periodicallytransmitted on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) to provide the UEwith system information (e.g., master information block (MIB)) forobtaining minimum system information delivered or transmitted by, forexample, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and/or a physicaldownlink shared channel (PDSCH). Additionally, in a new radio (NR)wireless communication system, an air interface may target a unifiedsynchronization/PBCH design for single-beam and/or multi-beamconfigurations.

To accommodate single-beam and/or multi-beam configuration forsynchronization and/or PBCH in an NR wireless communication system, asynchronization signal block may be transmitted per beam andretransmission including a redundancy version (e.g., as part of packetretransmissions such as a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)). Forexample, in such systems, beam sweeping may be used to cover wide areaswith narrow beams. In some aspects, the single-beam or multi-beamforming may configure the phase of each antenna to achieve constructivesuperposition of transmitted/received signals. In addition, redundancyversion retransmission may be used to extend a link budget (e.g.,accounting of all of the gains and losses from the transmitter, throughthe medium to the receiver in the new radio communication system). Insome aspects related to LTE, at least four redundancy versions may beprovided. In some aspects, the redundancy version may inform a device ofan amount of redundancy added into a codeword for encoding. Further, thenumber of beams may be specific to network implementations.

However, in some aspects, the network may not utilize all potentialsynchronization signal block locations due to a finite number of beamsavailable at the base station. Further, for instance, the network maynot use certain synchronization signal block locations to avoid conflictwith at least one downlink and/or uplink control region. As such, toefficiently utilize the available resources on the downlink, the networkmay multiplex one or more synchronization signal blocks with a downlinkchannel (e.g., PDSCH) and/or utilize unused or available resourceelements from or corresponding to at least one synchronization block fordata transmissions (e.g., on PDSCH).

Specifically, in an aspect, the present aspects may provide PDSCH ratematching with respect to synchronization signal block transmissionsusing or as part of downlink control indicator/information (DCI). Forexample, the network may determine whether to utilize unused oravailable resource elements from at least one synchronization signalblock for data transmission on PDSCH. In another example, the presentaspects may provide PDCCH rate matching and/or control resourcetransmissions with respect to synchronization signal blocktransmissions. In particular, the network may determine whether toutilize resource elements from at least one synchronization signal blockfor data transmission on a downlink control region (e.g., PDCCH). Thenetwork may, based on a determination to utilize the unused or availableresource elements, transmit an indication corresponding to or otherwiseincluding DCI to a UE to indicate the resource elements forming thesynchronization signal blocks including non-scheduling data, therebyproviding rate-matching.

Further, in some aspects related to transmissions on PDSCH, the DCI mayhave a current slot rate matching and/or a future slot rate matching inthe case of slot aggregation and/or power saving mode. In some aspectsrelated to transmissions on PDCCH, DCI may have future slots ratematching for PDCCH and high layer signaling may indicate PDCCH ratematching and the skipping/omission of control resources.

Additional features of the present aspects are described in more detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 1-6.

It should be noted that the techniques described herein may be used forvarious wireless communication networks such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA,SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms “system” and “network” are oftenused interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technologysuch as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc.CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releases 0and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×, 1×, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856)is commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×EV-DO, High Rate Packet Data(HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants ofCDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement aradio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA(E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20,Flash-OFDM™, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal MobileTelecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) andLTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA,E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from anorganization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). The techniques describedherein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentionedabove as well as other systems and radio technologies, includingcellular (e.g., LTE) communications over a shared radio frequencyspectrum band. The description below, however, describes an LTE/LTE-Asystem for purposes of example, and LTE terminology is used in much ofthe description below, although the techniques are applicable beyondLTE/LTE-A applications (e.g., to 5G networks or other next generationcommunication systems).

The following description provides examples, and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes maybe made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Various examples may omit,substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. Forinstance, the methods described may be performed in an order differentfrom that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, orcombined. Also, features described with respect to some examples may becombined in other examples.

Referring to FIG. 1, in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure, an example wireless communication network 100 includes atleast one UE 110 with a modem 140 having a resource identificationcomponent 150 that determines one or more resource elements forming thenumber of synchronization signal blocks 176 where non-scheduling datahas been scheduled for transmission. Further, the wireless communicationnetwork 100 includes at least one base station 105 with a modem 160having an indication transmission component 170 that transmits anindication 174 (e.g., DCI) signifying a location and/or a number ofsynchronization signal blocks 176 to the UE 110. Thus, according to thepresent disclosure, the base station 105 may determine and utilizeunused or available resource elements forming or corresponding tosynchronization signal blocks for transmission of non-scheduled data. Tofacilitate rate matching, however, the base station, and morespecifically, the indication transmission component 170 may, via aresource scheduler 172, configure the indication 174 to indicate thelocation and/or the number of synchronization signal blocks 176 utilizedfor data (e.g., non-scheduling) transmission. In some aspects, theindication 174 may correspond to or otherwise be included in the DCI,which the resource scheduler 172 may configure dynamically as the numberof synchronization signal blocks 176 per transmission varies. Forexample, the number of synchronization signal blocks 176 may be one of asingle synchronization block, two or more consecutive synchronizationblocks, or two or more non-consecutive synchronization signal blocks.Further, in aspects where the number of synchronization signal blocks176 is indicated within or as part of the DCI (compared to whenresources of non-synchronization signal blocks are scheduled andindicated in the DCI), various DCI fields may be configured such thatthe UE 110 may determine the number of synchronization signal blocks 176based on the DCI fields. Further, in some aspects, the number ofsynchronization signal blocks 176 may be configured by or at the radioresource control (RRC) layer and transmitted semi-statically to the UE110. In turn, the UE 110, and more specifically, the resourceidentification component 150 may be configured to receive the indication174 from the base station 105 to determine the number of synchronizationsignal blocks 176 utilized by the base station 105 for transmission on adownlink channel (e.g., PDSCH or PDCCH). The UE 110 may then receive thenon-scheduling data on the resource elements initially allocated forsynchronization signaling, but used by the base station 105 fortransmission of the non-scheduling data.

The wireless communication network 100 may include one or more basestations 105, one or more UEs 110, and a core network 115. The corenetwork 115 may provide user authentication, access authorization,tracking, internet protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access,routing, or mobility functions. The base stations 105 may interface withthe core network 115 through backhaul links 120 (e.g., S1, etc.). Thebase stations 105 may perform radio configuration and scheduling forcommunication with the UEs 110, or may operate under the control of abase station controller (not shown). In various examples, the basestations 105 may communicate, either directly or indirectly (e.g.,through core network 115), with one another over backhaul links 125(e.g., X1, etc.), which may be wired or wireless communication links.

The base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 110 viaone or more base station antennas. Each of the base stations 105 mayprovide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area130. In some examples, base stations 105 may be referred to as a basetransceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, an accessnode, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), HomeNodeB, a Home eNodeB, a relay, or some other suitable terminology. Thegeographic coverage area 130 for a base station 105 may be divided intosectors or cells making up only a portion of the coverage area (notshown). The wireless communication network 100 may include base stations105 of different types (e.g., macro base stations or small cell basestations, described below). Additionally, the plurality of base stations105 may operate according to different ones of a plurality ofcommunication technologies (e.g., 5G (New Radio or “NR”), fourthgeneration (4G)/LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.), and thus there may beoverlapping geographic coverage areas 130 for different communicationtechnologies.

In some examples, the wireless communication network 100 may be orinclude one or any combination of communication technologies, includinga new radio (NR) or 5G technology, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) orLTE-Advanced (LTE-A) or MuLTEfire technology, a Wi-Fi technology, aBluetooth technology, or any other long or short range wirelesscommunication technology. In LTE/LTE-A/MuLTEfire networks, the termevolved node B (eNB) may be generally used to describe the base stations105, while the term UE may be generally used to describe the UEs 110.The wireless communication network 100 may be a heterogeneous technologynetwork in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for variousgeographical regions. For example, each eNB or base station 105 mayprovide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or othertypes of cell. The term “cell” is a 3GPP term that can be used todescribe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated witha base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier orbase station, depending on context.

A macro cell may generally cover a relatively large geographic area(e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted accessby UEs 110 with service subscriptions with the network provider.

A small cell may include a relative lower transmit-powered base station,as compared with a macro cell, that may operate in the same or differentfrequency bands (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.) as macro cells. Smallcells may include pico cells, femto cells, and micro cells according tovarious examples. A pico cell, for example, may cover a small geographicarea and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 110 with servicesubscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell may also cover asmall geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted accessand/or unrestricted access by UEs 110 having an association with thefemto cell (e.g., in the restricted access case, UEs 110 in a closedsubscriber group (CSG) of the base station 105, which may include UEs110 for users in the home, and the like). A micro cell may cover ageographic area larger than a pico cell and a femto cell, but smallerthan a macro cell. An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macroeNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, apico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB may support one or multiple(e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g., component carriers).

The communication networks that may accommodate some of the variousdisclosed examples may be packet-based networks that operate accordingto a layered protocol stack and data in the user plane may be based onthe IP. A user plane protocol stack (e.g., packet data convergenceprotocol (PDCP), radio link control (RLC), MAC, etc.), may performpacket segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels.For example, a MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexingof logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also usehybrid automatic repeat/request (HARQ) to provide retransmission at theMAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the RRCprotocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenanceof an RRC connection between a UE 110 and the base station 105. The RRCprotocol layer may also be used for core network 115 support of radiobearers for the user plane data. At the physical (PHY) layer, thetransport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

The UEs 110 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communicationnetwork 100, and each UE 110 may be stationary or mobile. A UE 110 mayalso include or be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobilestation, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, awireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, awireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriberstation, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, aremote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, orsome other suitable terminology. A UE 110 may be a cellular phone, asmart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, awireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, alaptop computer, a cordless phone, a smart watch, a wireless local loop(WLL) station, an entertainment device, a vehicular component, acustomer premises equipment (CPE), or any device capable ofcommunicating in wireless communication network 100. Additionally, a UE110 may be Internet of Things (IoT) and/or machine-to-machine (M2M) typeof device, e.g., a low power, low data rate (relative to a wirelessphone, for example) type of device, that may in some aspects communicateinfrequently with wireless communication network 100 or other UEs. A UE110 may be able to communicate with various types of base stations 105and network equipment including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, macro gNBs,small cell gNBs, relay base stations, and the like.

UE 110 may be configured to establish one or more wireless communicationlinks 135 with one or more base stations 105. The wireless communicationlinks 135 shown in wireless communication network 100 may carry uplink(UL) transmissions from a UE 110 to a base station 105, or downlink (DL)transmissions, from a base station 105 to a UE 110. The downlinktransmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while theuplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. Eachwireless communication link 135 may include one or more carriers, whereeach carrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g.,waveform signals of different frequencies) modulated according to thevarious radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may besent on a different sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g.,reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, userdata, etc. In an aspect, the wireless communication links 135 maytransmit bidirectional communications using frequency division duplex(FDD) (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or time division duplex(TDD) operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources). Framestructures may be defined for FDD (e.g., frame structure type 1) and TDD(e.g., frame structure type 2). Moreover, in some aspects, the wirelesscommunication links 135 may represent one or more broadcast channels.

In some aspects of the wireless communication network 100, base stations105 or UEs 110 may include multiple antennas for employing antennadiversity schemes to improve communication quality and reliabilitybetween base stations 105 and UEs 110. Additionally or alternatively,base stations 105 or UEs 110 may employ multiple input multiple output(MIMO) techniques that may take advantage of multi-path environments totransmit multiple spatial layers carrying the same or different codeddata.

Wireless communication network 100 may support operation on multiplecells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrieraggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also bereferred to as a component carrier (CC), a layer, a channel, etc. Theterms “carrier,” “component carrier,” “cell,” and “channel” may be usedinterchangeably herein. A UE 110 may be configured with multipledownlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrieraggregation may be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers. Thebase stations 105 and UEs 110 may use spectrum up to Y MHz (e.g., Y=5,10, 15, or 20 MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrieraggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz (x=number of component carriers)used for transmission in each direction. The carriers may or may not beadjacent to each other. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric withrespect to DL and UL (e.g., more or less carriers may be allocated forDL than for UL). The component carriers may include a primary componentcarrier and one or more secondary component carriers. A primarycomponent carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and asecondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell(SCell).

The wireless communications network 100 may further include basestations 105 operating according to Wi-Fi technology, e.g., Wi-Fi accesspoints, in communication with UEs 110 operating according to Wi-Fitechnology, e.g., Wi-Fi stations (STAs) via communication links in anunlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in anunlicensed frequency spectrum, the STAs and AP may perform a clearchannel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure prior tocommunicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.

Additionally, one or more of base stations 105 and/or UEs 110 mayoperate according to a NR or 5G technology referred to as millimeterwave (mmW or mmwave) technology. For example, mmW technology includestransmissions in mmW frequencies and/or near mmW frequencies. Extremelyhigh frequency (EHF) is part of the radio frequency (RF) in theelectromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and awavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in thisband may be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW may extend downto a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. Forexample, the super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and30 GHz, and may also be referred to as centimeter wave. Communicationsusing the mmW and/or near mmW radio frequency band has extremely highpath loss and a short range. As such, base stations 105 and/or UEs 110operating according to the mmW technology may utilize beamforming intheir transmissions to compensate for the extremely high path loss andshort range.

Referring to FIG. 2, a conceptual diagram 200 of an examplesynchronization signal block 202. The structure of the synchronizationsignal block 202 may apply to or otherwise form the number ofsynchronization signal blocks 176 (FIG. 1). Specifically, thesynchronization signal block 202 may be of a unified structureincorporating or including one or more distinct synchronization signals.For example, the synchronization signal block 202 may be four symbols inlength, with a symbol length 212 representing a single symbol formingthe synchronization signal block 202. In some aspects, thesynchronization signal block 202 may include two symbols for physicalbroadcast channel (PBCH) information 204 and 210, one symbol for aprimary synchronization signal (PSS) 206 (e.g., to enable subframe levelsynchronization), and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) 208(e.g., used to obtain cell identity). The PBCH information 204 and 210may carry or include data corresponding to a master information block(MIB). The PBCH information 204 and 210 may be transmitted on a PBCH,which may, in some aspects, broadcast various access parameters.Further, in some aspects, the PSS 206 and SSS 208 may each be a physicallayer indication used for radio frame synchronization.

Further, demodulation resources for PBCH may be included as part of thePBCHs 204 and 210. As such, a single set of PSS 206, SSS 208, PBCHs 204and 210 may form the synchronization signal block 202. In some aspects,the synchronization signal block 202 may be transmitted per beam and/orredundancy version. In some aspects, synchronization signal block 202may also include reference signal measurements (e.g., reference signalreceived power (RSRP) and/or reference signal received quality (RSRQ)for beam-specific measurements in place of, or in addition to, PBCHs 204and/or 210.

Referring to FIG. 3, for example, a method 300 of wireless communicationin operating a network entity such as base station 105 (e.g., gNodeB)according to the above-described aspects to provide rate matching on adownlink channel for synchronization signal block transmission in a newradio environment includes one or more of the herein-defined actions.The blocks illustrated as having dashed lines may be optional.

At block 302, the method 300 may determine a number of synchronizationsignal blocks available for transmission of non-scheduling data. Forexample, in an aspect, the base station 105 may execute the indicationtransmission component 170 to determine a number of synchronizationsignal blocks 176 available for transmission of non-scheduling data tothe UE 110.

In some aspects, the number of synchronization signal blocks may bedetermined at the RRC layer. Further, in some aspects, the number thenumber of synchronization signal blocks 176 may correspond to at leastone of a single synchronization signal block, two or more consecutivesynchronization signal blocks, or two or more non-consecutivesynchronization signal blocks. Additionally, in some aspects,determining the number of synchronization signal blocks 176 availablefor transmission of non-scheduling data includes determining that one ormore resource elements forming the number of synchronization signalblocks 176 are available for transmission.

At block 304, the method 300 may determine to transmit thenon-scheduling data within the number of synchronization signal blocks.For example, in an aspect, the base station 105 may execute theindication transmission component 170 to determine whether to transmitthe non-scheduling data within one or more resource elements forming thenumber of synchronization signal blocks 176 based on a determinationthat the number of synchronization signal blocks 176 available fortransmission of non-scheduling data.

At block 306, the method 300 may schedule transmission of thenon-scheduling data within one or more resource elements forming thenumber of synchronization signal blocks. For example, in an aspect, thebase station 105 may execute the indication transmission component 170and execute the resource scheduler 172 to schedule transmission of thenon-scheduling data within one or more resource elements forming thenumber of synchronization signal blocks 176. In some aspects, the one ormore resource elements are each associated with a corresponding locationwithin a transmission slot and/or a subframe (or frame structure) formedof one or more symbols. That is, the location of each of the number ofsynchronization signal blocks 176 may correspond to a symbol locationwithin a frame or subframe transmission structure.

At block 308, the method 300 may configure an indication to indicate atleast one of the number of synchronization signal blocks or a locationof each of the number of synchronization signal blocks. For example, inan aspect, the base station 105 and/or the indication transmissioncomponent 170 may execute the resource scheduler 172 to configure anindication 174 to indicate or otherwise include at least one of thenumber of synchronization signal blocks 176 or a location of each of thenumber of synchronization signal blocks 176. In some aspects, theindication 174 may correspond to DCI.

At block 310, the method 300 may transmit, on a downlink channel, anindication signifying the number of synchronization signal blocks or thelocation of each of the number of synchronization signal blocks. Forexample, in an aspect, the base station 105 may execute transceiver 602(FIG. 6) to transmit, on a downlink channel to the UE 110, theindication 174 signifying the number of synchronization signal blocks176 or the location of each of the number of synchronization signalblocks 176. In some aspects, the downlink channel may correspond toPDSCH or PDCCH. In some aspects, the transmission may correspond todemodulation reference signal (DMRS) for PDSCH or control referencesignal (RS) for PDCCH.

At block 312, the method 300 may transmit the non-scheduling data withinthe number of synchronization signal blocks. For example, in an aspect,the base station 105 may execute the transceiver 602 to transmit thenon-scheduling data within the number of synchronization signal blocks176 to the UE 110 following transmission of the indication 174signifying the number of synchronization signal blocks 176. In someaspects, a portion of the non-scheduling data may be transmitted acrossunused resource elements corresponding to the number of synchronizationsignal block 176 and/or other data regions.

Referring to FIG. 4, for example, a method 400 of wireless communicationin operating UE 110 according to the above-described aspects to identifyresource elements forming synchronization blocks that are scheduled fordata transmission includes one or more of the herein-defined actions.The blocks illustrated as having dashed lines may be optional.

At block 402, the method 400 may receive an indication signifying atleast one of a number of synchronization signal blocks or a location ofeach of the number of synchronization signal blocks on a downlinkchannel. For example, the UE 110 may execute a transceiver 1202 (FIG. 5)to receive, on a downlink channel, an indication 174 signifying at leastone of the number of synchronization signal blocks 176 or a location ofeach of the number of synchronization signal blocks 176. In someaspects, the indication 174 may be or correspond to DCI. Additionally,in some aspects, the downlink channel may correspond to PDSCH or PDCCH.In some aspects, the transmission may correspond to DMRS for PDSCH orcontrol RS for PDCCH. Further, in some aspects, the number ofsynchronization signal blocks may be configured at an RRC layer.

At block 404, the method 400 may determine one or more resource elementsforming the number of synchronization signal blocks where non-schedulingdata has been scheduled for transmission. For example, the UE 110 mayexecute the resource identification component 150 to determine one ormore resource elements forming the number of synchronization signalblocks 176 where non-scheduling data has been scheduled for transmissionin response to receiving the indication 174 signifying at least one ofthe number of synchronization signal blocks 176 or a location of each ofthe number of synchronization signal blocks 176.

At block 406, the method 400 may receive the non-scheduling data withinthe one or more resource elements forming the number of synchronizationsignal blocks. For example, the UE 110 may execute the transceiver 1202to receive the non-scheduling data within the one or more resourceelements forming the number of synchronization signal blocks 176.

Referring to FIG. 5, one example of an implementation of UE 110 mayinclude a variety of components, some of which have already beendescribed above, but including components such as one or more processors512 and memory 516 and transceiver 502 in communication via one or morebuses 544, which may operate in conjunction with modem 140 and resourceidentification component 150 to enable one or more of the functionsdescribed herein related to determining one or more resource elementsforming the number of synchronization signal blocks 176 wherenon-scheduling data has been scheduled for transmission. Further, theone or more processors 1212, modem 514, memory 516, transceiver 502,radio frequency (RF) front end 588 and one or more antennas 565, may beconfigured to support voice and/or data calls (simultaneously ornon-simultaneously) in one or more radio access technologies. In someaspects, the modem 514 may be the same as or similar to the modem 140.

In an aspect, the one or more processors 512 can include a modem 514that uses one or more modem processors. The various functions related toresource identification component 150 may be included in modem 140and/or processors 512 and, in an aspect, can be executed by a singleprocessor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions maybe executed by a combination of two or more different processors. Forexample, in an aspect, the one or more processors 512 may include anyone or any combination of a modem processor, or a baseband processor, ora digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a receiverprocessor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver 502.In other aspects, some of the features of the one or more processors 512and/or modem 140 associated with resource identification component 150may be performed by transceiver 502.

Also, memory 516 may be configured to store data used herein and/orlocal versions of applications 575 or resource identification component150 and/or one or more of its subcomponents being executed by at leastone processor 512. Memory 516 can include any type of computer-readablemedium usable by a computer or at least one processor 512, such asrandom access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), tapes, magneticdiscs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and anycombination thereof. In an aspect, for example, memory 516 may be anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or morecomputer-executable codes defining resource identification component 150and/or one or more of its subcomponents, and/or data associatedtherewith, when UE 110 is operating at least one processor 512 toexecute resource identification component 150 and/or one or more of itssubcomponents.

Transceiver 502 may include at least one receiver 506 and at least onetransmitter 508. Receiver 506 may include hardware, firmware, and/orsoftware code executable by a processor for receiving data, the codecomprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g.,computer-readable medium). Receiver 506 may be, for example, a RFreceiver. In an aspect, receiver 506 may receive signals transmitted byat least one base station 105. Additionally, receiver 506 may processsuch received signals, and also may obtain measurements of the signals,such as, but not limited to, Ec/Io, SNR, RSRP, RSSI, etc. Transmitter508 may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by aprocessor for transmitting data, the code comprising instructions andbeing stored in a memory (e.g., computer-readable medium). A suitableexample of transmitter 508 may include, but is not limited to, an RFtransmitter.

Moreover, in an aspect, UE 110 may include RF front end 588, which mayoperate in communication with one or more antennas 565 and transceiver502 for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, for example,wireless communications transmitted by at least one base station 105 orwireless transmissions transmitted by UE 110. RF front end 588 may beconnected to one or more antennas 565 and can include one or morelow-noise amplifiers (LNAs) 590, one or more switches 592, one or morepower amplifiers (PAs) 598, and one or more filters 596 for transmittingand receiving RF signals.

In an aspect, LNA 590 can amplify a received signal at a desired outputlevel. In an aspect, each LNA 590 may have a specified minimum andmaximum gain values. In an aspect, RF front end 588 may use one or moreswitches 592 to select a particular LNA 590 and its specified gain valuebased on a desired gain value for a particular application.

Further, for example, one or more PA(s) 598 may be used by RF front end588 to amplify a signal for an RF output at a desired output powerlevel. In an aspect, each PA 598 may have specified minimum and maximumgain values. In an aspect, RF front end 588 may use one or more switches592 to select a particular PA 598 and a corresponding specified gainvalue based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

Also, for example, one or more filters 596 can be used by RF front end588 to filter a received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly,in an aspect, for example, a respective filter 596 can be used to filteran output from a respective PA 598 to produce an output signal fortransmission. In an aspect, each filter 596 can be connected to aspecific LNA 590 and/or PA 598. In an aspect, RF front end 588 can useone or more switches 592 to select a transmit or receive path using aspecified filter 596, LNA 590, and/or PA 598, based on a configurationas specified by transceiver 502 and/or processor 512.

As such, transceiver 502 may be configured to transmit and receivewireless signals through one or more antennas 565 via RF front end 588.In an aspect, transceiver may be tuned to operate at specifiedfrequencies such that UE 110 can communicate with, for example, one ormore base stations 105 or one or more cells associated with one or morebase stations 105. In an aspect, for example, modem 140 can configuretransceiver 502 to operate at a specified frequency and power levelbased on the UE configuration of the UE 110 and the communicationprotocol used by modem 140.

In an aspect, modem 140 can be a multiband-multimode modem, which canprocess digital data and communicate with transceiver 502 such that thedigital data is sent and received using transceiver 502. In an aspect,modem 140 can be multiband and be configured to support multiplefrequency bands for a specific communications protocol. In an aspect,modem 140 can be multimode and be configured to support multipleoperating networks and communications protocols. In an aspect, modem 140can control one or more components of UE 110 (e.g., RF front end 1288,transceiver 502) to enable transmission and/or reception of signals fromthe network based on a specified modem configuration. In an aspect, themodem configuration can be based on the mode of the modem and thefrequency band in use. In another aspect, the modem configuration can bebased on UE configuration information associated with UE 110 as providedby the network during cell selection and/or cell reselection.

Referring to FIG. 6, one example of an implementation of base station105 may include a variety of components, some of which have already beendescribed above, but including components such as one or more processors612, a memory 616, and a transceiver 602 in communication via one ormore buses 644, which may operate in conjunction with modem 160 andindication transmission component 170 including resource scheduler 172to enable one or more of the functions described herein relating to ratematching on a downlink channel for synchronization signal blocktransmission in a new radio environment by, for example, transmitting anindication 174 signifying a number of synchronization signal blocks 176.

The transceiver 602, receiver 606, transmitter 608, one or moreprocessors 612, memory 616, applications 675, buses 644, RF front end688, LNAs 690, switches 692, filters 696, PAs 698, and one or moreantennas 665 may be the same as or similar to the correspondingcomponents of UE 110, as described above, but configured or otherwiseprogrammed for base station operations as opposed to UE operations.

The above detailed description set forth above in connection with theappended drawings describes examples and does not represent the onlyexamples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of theclaims. The term “example,” when used in this description, means“serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred”or “advantageous over other examples.” The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of thedescribed techniques. These techniques, however, may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, well-known structuresand apparatuses are shown in block diagram form in order to avoidobscuring the concepts of the described examples.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety ofdifferent technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions,commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may bereferenced throughout the above description may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, computer-executable code or instructionsstored on a computer-readable medium, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connectionwith the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with aspecially-programmed device, such as but not limited to a processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a FPGA or other programmablelogic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardwarecomponent, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A specially-programmed processor may be amicroprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be anyconventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. Aspecially-programmed processor may also be implemented as a combinationof computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor,multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on anon-transitory computer-readable medium. Other examples andimplementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure andappended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functionsdescribed above can be implemented using software executed by aspecially programmed processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as usedin a list of items prefaced by “at least one of” indicates a disjunctivelist such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C”means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be anyavailable medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code means in the form of instructions or data structures andthat can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer,or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connectionis properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if thesoftware is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote sourceusing a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio,and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable aperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the common principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Furthermore, although elements of the describedaspects and/or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular,the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular isexplicitly stated. Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/orembodiment may be utilized with all or a portion of any other aspectand/or embodiment, unless stated otherwise. Thus, the disclosure is notto be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communications, comprising:identifying a number of one or more synchronization signal blocks and alocation of the one or more synchronization signal blocks available forphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; scheduling thePDSCH transmission within one or more resource elements forming the oneor more synchronization signal blocks available for PDSCH transmission;configuring an indication to signify the number and the location of theone or more synchronization signal blocks available for PDSCHtransmission; transmitting, on a downlink channel, the indicationsignifying the number and the location of the one or moresynchronization signal blocks available for PDSCH transmission; andproviding PDSCH rate matching with respect to synchronization signalblock transmissions.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or moresynchronization signal blocks are determined at a radio resource control(RRC) layer.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink channelcorresponds to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blockscorrespond to at least one of: a single synchronization signal block,two or more consecutive synchronization signal blocks, or two or morenon-consecutive synchronization signal blocks.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising identifying that the one or more resource elementsforming the one or more synchronization signal blocks are available forPDSCH transmission.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingidentifying whether to utilize unused or available resource elementsfrom at least one synchronization signal block for data transmission onthe PDSCH.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing PDSCH ratematching includes providing downlink control information that has acurrent slot rate matching.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein providingPDSCH rate matching includes providing downlink control information thathas a future slot rate matching.
 9. A method of wireless communicationsat a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, on a downlink channel,an indication signifying a number and a location of one or moresynchronization signals for PDSCH transmission; identifying one or moreresource elements forming the one or more synchronization signal blockswhere physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission has beenscheduled based on the indication signifying the number and the locationof the one or more synchronization signal blocks; and receiving thePDSCH transmission within the one or more resource elements forming theone or more synchronization signal blocks, wherein the PDSCHtransmission is rate matched with respect to synchronization signalblock transmissions.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or moresynchronization signal blocks are configured at a radio resource control(RRC) layer.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or moresynchronization signal blocks correspond to at least one of: a singlesynchronization signal block, two or more consecutive synchronizationsignal blocks, or two or more non-consecutive synchronization signalblocks.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the downlink channelcorresponds to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).
 13. Anapparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and at leastone processor in communication with the memory and configured to:identify a number of one or more synchronization signal blocks and alocation of the one or more synchronization signal blocks available forphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; schedule thePDSCH transmission within one or more resource elements forming the oneor more synchronization signal blocks available for PDSCH transmission;configure an indication to signify the number and the location of theone or more synchronization signal blocks available for PDSCHtransmission; transmit, on a downlink channel, the indication signifyingthe number and the location of the one or more synchronization signalblocks available for PDSCH transmission; and provide PDSCH rate matchingwith respect to synchronization signal block transmissions.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more synchronization signalblocks are determined at a radio resource control (RRC) layer.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the downlink channel corresponds to aphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).
 16. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks correspond to atleast one of: a single synchronization signal block, two or moreconsecutive synchronization signal blocks, or two or morenon-consecutive synchronization signal blocks.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to identifythat the one or more resource elements forming the one or moresynchronization signal blocks are available for PDSCH transmission. 18.A user equipment, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor incommunication with the memory and configured to: receive, on a downlinkchannel, an indication signifying a number and a location of one or moresynchronization signals for PDSCH transmission; identify one or moreresource elements forming the one or more synchronization signal blockswhere physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission has beenscheduled based on the indication signifying the number and the locationof the one or more synchronization signal blocks; and receive the PDSCHtransmission within the one or more resource elements forming the one ormore synchronization signal blocks, wherein the PDSCH transmission israte matched with respect to synchronization signal block transmissions.19. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein the one or moresynchronization signal blocks are configured at a radio resource control(RRC) layer.
 20. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein the one or moresynchronization signal blocks correspond to at least one of: a singlesynchronization signal block, two or more consecutive synchronizationsignal blocks, or two or more non-consecutive synchronization signalblocks.
 21. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein the downlink channelcorresponds to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).